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Morgan Manages Mommyhood

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Night Diaper Changes: How to and should you wake them?

April 14, 2021 By Morgan Last Updated: April 14, 2021

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Night diaper changes can be difficult. The goal is to get baby clean but keep her asleep! Learn how to accomplish this as well as how often you should change a baby diaper at night.

a baby sleeping in a yellow prop mood with stars in the background and text overlay reading night diaper changes

A sleeping baby is worth her weight in gold, right? But babies have no concept of holding their bladders (or the other end!) so they often have dirty diapers at night. 

Changing those diapers can be a tricky challenge. You want to get it changed if it’s bothering the baby, but also, you want to make sure she falls back asleep when it’s time. So what’s a new parent to do?

Everything to know about night diaper changes

Have no fear – just like with our how to change a baby boy diaper and girl diaper change posts, we’re going step by step with how to change a diaper at night AND how often should you do it. 

The key to a “successful” night change is keeping things as quiet, calm, and sleepy as possible. Here are my best tips for managing that.

Leave the swaddle on if at all possible. 

Reduce the amount of shocking cool air by keeping baby bundled up. I love the swaddle sacks with a zipper at the bottom to achieve this. If you find that there is a diaper explosion, you’ll obviously have to swap everything out.

Keep things quiet. 

Speak quietly, softly, and calmly if at all to your baby. She needs to understand this is sleep time and not wake up time!

Make it quick! 

This is not the time to dilly daddle!! Diaper off, wipe, diaper on and done.

Use minimal light. 

Honestly, I’m at the point where I can literally change a diaper in the dark. If you’re new to changing diapers at night, you’ll catch on quick! If you need light, get a soft nightlight or just turn your phones screen on nearby. It’s usually enough light for me to get the change done. 

How Often Should I Change a Baby’s Diaper at Night?

This is the golden question, right? To wake the baby or not?

In most cases, the answer is a big fat NO! You do not have to wake up a baby to change her diaper.

During awake hours, every 2-3 hours is a good guideline for the max time between changes, but at night leave her be. 

If she wakes up to feed, change her. If she wakes up and won’t settle back down, I usually check the diaper to see if that’s the cause. But otherwise, if your baby is sleeping happily, leave her be!!

Of course, there may be come situations where you absolutely need to change more often, like a bad diaper rash or infection. Talk to your pediatrician if you’re unsure!

So there you have it – how to handle all things night diaper changes with confidence!

More parenting posts:

How to Fold a Dirty Diaper
DIY Car Changing Station
When to go up a size in diapers
Baby Led Weaning
7 Tips for When You’re Feeling Mom Overwhelm
Breastfeeding Essentials

Filed Under: Baby, Parenting

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Hi! I’m Morgan!

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15 shares